Budget and Bill Paying With Your Spouse

Okay, this is not a topic for the faint-of-heart so if you're feeling a little bit queasy right now, you should probably stop and go watch some television of go have a cup of coffee or something. Still here? Well then, you must be the courageous type - don't say I didn't warn you.
Learning how to do your budgeting and pay your bills with your spouse or significant other can be a scary proposition. You probably have very different opinions about how your money should be spent and you probably have very different backgrounds and skill sets. That can make for a lot of irritation and ruffled feathers which can lead to squabbling and then to full-fledged arguments. But even though there's danger there, it is well worth the risk. Because, when you both share the financial burden, you exponentially increase your chance of being financially successful.
Both you and your partner need to understand exactly how much money comes into your household and exactly how that money is spent. If you don't, then you will almost always be at cross purposes with each other. One of you will be spending too much or buying the wrong thing and in a sense, stepping on the financial plans of the other. Plus, when bad financial news comes in (like an unexpected bill or expense) and you're not prepared, it will be easy to point the finger of blame at the other.
In reality, you share all the bills and all of the expenses with each other. So do yourselves a favor and bite the bullet in the short-term. Learn to sit down and work on the budget and bills together. Learn to plan for the month together. Learn to accept the good and bad financial news together.
Try scheduling a weekly budget meeting in which you go over your bills and plan for the coming weeks. Make it the same time every week and don't postpone it. When bills or other home business mail comes in during the week, save it up for that meeting and take care of it then and there. Make your decisions together about how you're going to spend (and save) your money. If you do, a couple good things will happen.
First, you'll stop worrying during the week about what bill has come in or whether or not you've taken care of something that you may have forgotten. Second, you'll know exactly, every week, where you are financially and more importantly, where you're going. There will be fewer surprises and when bad news does come in the door you'll be able to support each other and get through it easier.
Make no mistake; you'll both need to compromise when you begin this process. And it will take some weeks before it's truly productive. But the end product is well worth the effort. Don't let a little fear stop you.